This project assesses feasibility of providing medically vulnerable rural patients with Medical-Self-Assessment-Boxes containing equipment to use at home during telephone and video consultations (telemedicine) with GPs and other healthcare professionals. COVID-19 has caused an upsurge in primary care telemedicine which the investigators believe can be sustained and optimized to make things better for medically vulnerable rural patients beyond the pandemic. The investigators will achieve this by equipping the participants to self-measure and report key clinical measurements (e.g. blood pressure, temperature, oxygen levels) during telemedicine consultations. Before conducting a major evaluation of the Medical-Self-Assessment-Box for medically vulnerable rural patients the investigators must establish three things: First, to show the investigators can issue a Medical-Self-Assessment-Box to medically vulnerable rural patients and enable them to use it properly. Second, to determine that patients can use the Medical-Self-Assessment-Box effectively during telemedicine consultations. Third, to show that it is possible to measure how well the Medical-Self-Assessment-Box is working by counting how often the boxes are being used and whether use is appropriate and helpful. The knowledge gained will provide the investigators with the information needed to develop a funding proposal to evaluate Medical-Self-Assessment-Boxes for medically vulnerable rural patients in the whole of the UK.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
12
A sphygmanometer, a digital thermometer, a pulse oximeter and a peak flow meter will be given to participants in the intervention arm to use during their telemedicine consultations with health care providers.
University of Aberdeen
Aberdeen, Aberdeen City, United Kingdom
Short questionnaire
The questionnaire will assess use of equipment, perception of how helpful the equipment was for the consultation and the reasons why it was helpful.
Time frame: 6 months (given at the end of every TM consultation)
Interviews
Qualitative data collected at the end of the study according to a topic guide.
Time frame: 1 day (end of study interview)
Number of consultations face to face
Number of face to face consultations
Time frame: 6 months (every time there is a consultation)
Number of consultations TM
Number of telemedicine consultations
Time frame: 6 months (every time there is a consultation)
Hospital admissions elective
Number of elective hospital admissions
Time frame: 6 months (every time there is an admission)
Hospital admissions emergency
Number of emergency hospital admissions
Time frame: 6 months (every time there is an admission)
Ambulance service call-outs
Number of Scottish ambulance service call-outs
Time frame: 6 months (every time there is a call-out)
Ambulance service paramedics
Number of face-to-face paramedic assessment
Time frame: 6 months (every time there is an assessment)
Survival
Survival at six months
Time frame: 6 months (assessed at the end of the study)
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